Kausikan Serpent Peoples

***SUNDAY LOTFP GO AWAY***

The Kausikans pre-date human dominance across the world. They were mentored in magic in the blackness beneath their mountains homes. This is how they came to revere the Mountain Things. Their knowledge led to a mass-enslavement of humans in the local area. What provoked them into attacking the last city is not known, but it is known that is war over-extended their empire, leading to collapse. It is possible some small groups survive to this day.

In the Last City, they hibernate, trapped by the fearsome magic they unleashed.

Active Patrols 1-12 Kausikans, with a 50% chance of d8 of them being Mystics. There will be 1-20 hibernating Kausikans nearby. For each Mystic, there is a cumulative 5% chance of a captive demon. (generate as Summon)

Kausikan Warrior

2HD

AC as Chain, 30% of d4 armoured warriors, AC as Plate

1 Attack as Weapon, +1 Damage

Kausikan Mystic

2HD

AC as Chain

1 Attack as Weapon, +1 Damage

Roll for 1 1st Level spell from normal list.

Artefacts of the Kausikans.

Kausikan Serpent Peoples

Endless spell-slates can be found with Kausikans living, dead or hibernating. Most are broken, and the majority of the whole ones replicate the effects of modern spells.

Beaten copper collars, usually found around the necks of dead human skeletons. These slave collars are bound to a rod, and cannot be removed once they are donned.

The slave rod can be used to inflict inhuman levels of pain on all of those wearing collars at once. It cannot be used on a single slave. It is a small stone baton with a glyph on one face.

A small polished rock, which seems to have some inner quality. It is a seeing-stone of the Mountain Things. Significant military personnel of the Kausikans would carry these.

A variety of weapons with uncomfortable balance and grip, but perfectly serviceable. The wielder will not be able to forget the otherness of the weapon. They thirst for the blood of mammals, especially that of humans. These weapons deal +1 damage to all mammals, and score a critical on 19-20 against humans.

A strange metal spike with a great deal of intricate carving around the point. These Stone Killers were used to punch holes in walls and to obliterate the famed golems of the last city.

A Dead City Twitches

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The city is dead, but things still stalk the abandoned streets and empty buildings. On top of this, something lurks from the cataclysm so long ago.

D6	Random Encounters within the City.
1	Animate dead, driven wild by confinement and tragedy. They hunger for intruder-flesh, for the red stuff of life so long absent.
2	1d4 Active defence golems on patrol. Will not attack unless the party is somewhere they shouldn’t be.
3	An insane golem bursts in through a wall, destroying everything in its path. If defeated, a new structure have been revealed.
4	A foraging party of Kausikans, looking for supplies for their hibernating brothers and sisters.
5	The long dead whisper and moan in the ears of the living in strange tongues. They ache to be remembered.
6	An ambush team of cave-adapted humans, inbred and wild from cannibalism and a lifetime within the tomb of their people. Some will be wearing rotting, rusting and corroded ancestral armour and wielding weapons made of metal twisted with bone.

With every drop of blood split, it grows. Every HD worth of damage dealt to living things empowers it, giving it one HD. Once it reaches 4 HD, it manifests and kills. A presence ushered in by the Kausikans, it haunts the streets and follows the living. It sees moisture, not light. Whilst not manifested, it calls out to those who dwell in this place, drawing them like moths to a flame. When destroyed in it's physical form, it simply hides for a week before the process begins anew. It is old.

Artefacts of the Last City

***LOTFP PLAYERS GO AWAY***

There are two main classes of artefact in the Last City. Those which belong here, and those brought in by the Kausikan invaders. These are just some of the notable things an expedition could discover.

The Last City	Kausikan Serpent Peoples
A tablet detailing their golem-craft. Could be used as a manual. Incredibly valuable and rare, and extremely delicate.	Endless spell-slates can be found with Kausikans living, dead or hibernating. Most are broken, and the majority of the whole ones replicate the effects of modern spells.
A blessed weapon of Serpent Slaying. This will be a short sword, spear of axe, and has been blessed by the war-deity to serve well against all serpents. Considered magical vs Serpents and grant +1 to hit.	Beaten copper collars, usually found around the necks of dead human skeletons. These slave collars are bound to a rod, and cannot be removed once they are donned.
A tablet containing a spell, either clerical or arcane. These are mostly found in temples or libraries, and many will be cruder versions of modern spells. Some are unique.	The slave rod can be used to inflict inhuman levels of pain on all of those wearing collars at once. It cannot be used on a single slave. It is a small stone baton with a glyph on one face.
A carved bone rod which grants power over crops, giving the wielding the power to visit blight or bounty upon that year’s harvest in the region. Using it binds the user to the region until the harvest.	A small polished rock, which seems to have some inner quality. It is a seeing-stone of the Mountain Things. Significant military personnel of the Kausikans would carry these.
The three-tablet Prayer to a Rain Spirit, which visits powerful rains to the region. It can be used to flood creatures out of their nests, or to ensure a good crop. These tablets caused the war which resulted in the death of the city.	A variety of weapons with uncomfortable balance and grip, but perfectly serviceable. The wielder will not be able to forget the otherness of the weapon. They thirst for the blood of mammals, especially that of humans. These weapons deal +1 damage to all mammals, and score a critical on 19-20 against humans.
A fantastically light suit of mail made from the scales of some long-extinct fish. The scales shimmer and wink in the sun. It functions as leather with the protection of chain, but stealth is difficult.	A strange metal spike with a great deal of intricate carving around the point. These Stone Killers were used to punch holes in walls and to obliterate the famed golems of the last city.

Dig yourself a bigger hole

***SUNDAY GAME PLAYERS GO HOME PLEASE***

Designed for use with this, which has just been updated.
Whenever a structure is revealed, roll below. Rolling several times can generate connected structures, districts being unearthed etc. Particularly large structures being rolled means only an entrance has been unearthed. Roll on the Contents table to determine randomised contents.

D100	Structure
0-2	Mausoleum
3-20	Market
21-31	Workshop
31-65	Poor Housing
66-70	Rich Housing
71-77	Temple
78-85	Barracks
86-90	Palace
91-95	Library
96-00	Golem Manufactory

D100	Contents
0-15	Human Skeletons
16-30	Salvageable Equipment
31-36	Usable Equipment
37-47	Mixed Skeletons
48-50	Baked/Stone Tablets
51-58	Destroyed Golems
59-63	Active Golems
64-70	Insane Golems
70-75	Hibernating Kausikans
76-86	Minor Wealth 3d4SP
87-95	Medium Wealth 10d10SP
95-97	Treasure Hoard 12d20 x10 SP
98-00	Cave Adapted Survivors

The following guidelines are in addition to the randomly determined content.

Libraries always contain 1d6 intact tablets, a 50% chance of mixed skeletons and a 20% chance of Hibernating Kausikans.

Golem Manufactories always have 2d10 deactivated or half-completed golems, 1d4 active worker golems and a 50% chance of 1d2 insane golems. The insane golems will be fighting the active golems, or each other.

Temples always contain a treasure hoard, human skeletons and a 70% chance of baked tablets.

Barracks always contain mixed skeletons, in addition to a collection of salvageable and usable equipment.

Mausoleums always contain human skeletons and many (1d100) offerings of minor wealth.

Archaeology is sexy and exciting

The deals have been cut and the expedition has been funded – nothing could go wrong at this point.

***LOTFP SUNDAY GAME PLAYERS CAN STOP READING RIGHT NOW***

The table below should be rolled on whenever you feel significant dig process has been made. Adjust the dice rolled depending on how hectic you want the dig to be - using a d8 or d10 means many surface related activities, whereas larger dice give a higher chance of a structure being excavated.

Once the first structure has been unearthed, 1d4-1 artefacts worth up to 100sp will be found each time this table is rolled on

D8+	What happens?
1	The local merchants have arrived, hawking their wares to the workers. They integrate themselves with the existing tent-village. 4-in-6 chance they are genuine, 1-in-6 of bandits and 1-in-6 chance they have some stake in the dig. Goods are of mixed quality. Small boost to morale throughout the camp.
2	Symptoms of some novel disease are rife in the workers, slowing down work. There are whispers of ancient curses and retribution from the dead. Morale is eroding rapidly.
3	Natives of the area gather nearby to watch the progress. 50% chance of being inscrutable, 50% chance of openly decrying the dig. Minor accidents start happening, and tools go missing. Workers are getting a little skittish. Small morale loss.
4	The more magically or spiritually attuned have been visited with terrible dream-visions of the culture being unearthed, of punishments for grave robbers and of some arcane secret below. Take a small penalty to actions if you keep it to yourself, or lower morale overall to share your problem.
5	The dig has revealed something lurking in the ground – ancient guardians, restless dead or worse. Morale penalty scales directly with fatalities caused.
6	Oversight on the side of the foremen has led to man-made disaster – a portion of the dig has collapsed, killing a decent proportion of the workers. Huge morale loss, and new workers need to be acquired fast. 1-in-6 chance of the collapse revealing something previously missed.
7	Workers have become developing small rituals and turns-of-phrase which seem decidedly off. Those of a historical bent recognise these are the hallmarks of the religion(s) of the culture under the dig site. Morale is slightly lifted, unless this revelation is shared – in which case morale lowers.
8+	A section has revealed itself thanks to the tiresome labour of the workers – a structure large enough to warrant exploration has been revealed! Significant morale boost.

Tracking Morale for the Dig

Scale slides from 1-20, each step representing the overall ‘feel’ of the operation. As morale lowers, productivity lowers, but providing endless distractions and drink to workers could be just as detrimental. Mundane morale factors include things like -

- Time spent on dig (no progress over a significant period of time lowers morale)

- Weather

- Quality, amount and variety of food and drink

- Distance from home

- Pay

Most expeditions should start with around 10 morale, although conditions at the starting point of the journey should affect this. Difficult journeys will affect the morale quite heavily.

Small changes in morale should net a change of 1 or so, with a huge swing being 4 points or so. Resolving issues in flashy ways will actively improve morale, whereas quieter resolutions simply stop the loss of morale – although this is inverted with strife within the camp – i.e. quietly removing a thief from the workforce rather than publicly and harshly dealing with them.